Death of Mahatma Gandhi: Nathuram Godse and emerging RSS/Hindu Nationalism
Anya Gupta
The death of Gandhi marked a key turning point in Indian history, as his murder done by a radical Indian shocked the entire world. His killer Nathuram Godse was a supporter and member of India’s Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a militant group dedicated to preserving a “Hindu State” and upholding the ideals of Hindutva- the idea that “seeks to establish the hegemony of Hindus and the Hindu way of life.” Their ideologies were extremely anti-Muslim, pro-violence, and went against Gandhi’s teachings of satyagraha and ahimsa, and his support of the creation of Pakistan. Although banned after Gandhi’s assassination, the RSS was eventually allowed again several decades later. The violent Hindu Nationalism that RSS preaches has been re-emerging in India under BJP leadership, as the latter is a branch of RSS.
BJP’s involvement in the destruction of Babri Masjid in 1992 is the same ideology endorsed by Hindutva/Sawalker/RSS back when Gandhi was killed. The mobilization of Indian votes for BJP through the villainization of Muslims and Islam is a sad reminder of unhealed wounds from Partition. As more and more temples pop up honoring Godse and his martyrdom, it is an affront to the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi preached. With all the violence and riots that are occurring due to an increasingly nationalist agenda, it probably would not make Gandhi feel proud.
Gandhi: A Lasting Legend, but a Fallen Legacy
Samhitha Sunkara
Gandhi posited revolutionary ideas about nonviolence and intercaste and interfaith harmony. However, his legacy is not as long-lasting as he had hoped.
The Modern Attack on Gandhi’s Ideology of Religious Tolerance
Prathmesh Patel
During the recent “Howdy Modi” rally in Houston, which welcomed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States, Donald Trump regarded PM Modi as the ‘father of India’. Mahatma Gandhi is the revolutionary, true ‘father of India’. He’s well known around the world for helping India become independent from British rule through a nonviolent campaign. His ideologies of nonviolence, religious tolerance, abolishing untouchability, and improving intercaste relations were certainly under scrutiny during his life. India’s government is currently led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and they publicly embrace the towering figure of Gandhi. It hollows out the core of Gandhi’s teachings, who openly rejected ethnic and religious nationalism, and flaunts him as a great Hindu Indian leader, known and celebrated internationally – a grand and worthy figure to whom Modi can be compared. Have we forgotten the teachings of Gandhi?
Gandhi, the People’s Revolutionary
Naman Agarwal
Picture Mahatma Gandhi and you’ll almost certainly envision a man dressed in the traditional Indian dhoti, rather than a Saville Row suit. Although Gandhi was a lawyer educated at the University College London, the image he maintained as a common man helped solidify the Indian independence movement amongst the commoners of India. Rather than preaching from a pedestal, Gandhi set out as a personal example of how to reject the British hegemony. While Gandhi’s writing focused heavily on the need for economic independence and self-sufficiency, rather than fighting a complicated battle in the political sphere, he brought the discourse to the common man by making his own clothes with the now-iconic wheel. This allowed him to garner support amongst India’s biggest demographic and helped solidify him as a champion of the people, rather than just another politician.
The Untold South African Tale of How Gandhi Became Who He Was
Shreyas Gupta
While most know the role that Mahatma Gandhi played for India, it is often overlooked the significant amount of time he spent in South Africa. His time studying in London and living in South Africa was an exceptionally formative time in Gandhi’s life and career. As he learned about the law in British classrooms and then fought for the rights of the common man in South Africa, his values and ethics quickly solidified into what we all know them to be. The moral code by which Gandhi lived by is one that many can only aspire to have and this podcast provides an overview of how he was formed. Upon my own personal travels to South Africa, I soon became aware that only one man could even attempt to cast a shadow greater than the heroic Nelson Mandela and that was Mahatma Gandhi.
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